Alan’s miracle escape as car slams into his home
A man was thrown across his living room when a car ploughed into his house.
Alan Kemp was relaxing at home on Friday afternoon when a driver lost control and her car became lodged in the front wall.
He said: “I was in the armchair next to the wall. I was doing a sudoku puzzle when I heard a loud bang and I was thrown across the room.
“Fortunately, my wife Eve was in the kitchen at the time serving up dinner.”
Emergency services, including two fire engines and three ambulances, were called to Corner Farm Road, Staplehurst, at 5.30pm to free the trapped driver, understood to be a neighbour.
The former engineer escaped with minor scratches and was taken to Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury, with his 73-yearold wife, as a precaution.
The woman driver, who was cut free from the silver Vauxhall, was also taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Mr Kemp credits his lucky escape to the fact a large plastic bin was outside his living room, acting as an extra safety barrier.
But while the 64- year- old escaped relatively unscathed, his house did not. The car remained in his living room over the weekend, with repairs unable to begin until experts could assess the structural damage.
Mr Kemp said: “We can’t stay in our front bedroom as the car went into one of the supporting, load-bearing pillars.”
Mrs Kemp went to stay with friends, while her husband stayed at the house to make sure it was secure.
The car was removed from the house on Wednesday. Meanwhile, a loss adjuster visited and the couple are now waiting for a structural engineer to come out.
Mr Kemp said: “My wife, who is of a nervous disposition, of course is very upset about it all. I am stoic about it because I need to get the things sorted out.”
Neighbour Cliff Wishart was at home at the time of the crash. He said: “My son heard a bang and told me someone had driven into the house across the road.
“All the emergency services had been called by the time I got there.”